We wrapped up our first set of survey sites this morning! A flat tire yesterday afternoon raised concerns that we would have to hike the 150-some traps back home on foot, but fortunately new tires were found for our trusty Chevy Tracker rental, Esmerelda.
Before leaving the area, we passed out some 'dulces' to a dozen adorable youngsters living at the finca, whose parents work incredibly hard as mostly migrant coffee pickers. Four-year-old Niminito was the bravest, giving us his name and age in a squeaky voice while clutching his chocolate treats. Our guides and hosts at the finca got some of Megan's amazing carrot-banana-ginger dulce pan as a thank-you for all of their help.
This afternoon we returned home to no power at the house; no big deal, since our almuerzo coffee can be handmade with some ingenuity and a collander. Then came trap cleaning, scrubbing out all the Sherman traps with toothbrushes. Didn't take too long, but I am told it can be agonizing when all the traps need a serious scrubbing.
Handling small rodents is fairly different from bat handling. Mice are a lot twitchier, even than the relatively hysterical northern long-eared bat! Bats are also a lot more likely to just knaw on your gloved fingers and take comfort in trying to escape that way; pocket mice will flail, kick, and scratch as soon as they sense an opportunity! I will have aquired a lot more variety to my handling skills by the end of this project, I am sure!
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